Merkatz Files Strong Response to Florida Attorney General Civil Suit

COCONUT CREEK, Fla., Nov. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- David Merkatz, best selling author of the new book, "Wrongly Charged: A Look At The Legal System," today filed a strong and abrupt response to the Florida Attorney General's civil lawsuit (#CACE-15-017045). Merkatz states that the Florida Attorney General waited over a year and a half to file this lawsuit as a direct result of Merkatz's best selling book being released.

Merkatz has appeared on over 75 radio shows promoting his book, which details his criminal case in which he and two other fellow Locksmiths were "Wrongly Charged" with criminal charges, and a complete outline of the criminal justice system. In June 2015 his book made #1 on the Amazon Best Sellers List.

Over 1 1/2 years after his criminal case ended, in which he pled guilty to Misdemeanor petty theft charges and paid restitution to six people, the Florida Attorney General decided to file a civil suit and wants a civil penalty for the same six victims, Merkatz said. In filing of his answer he stated that the state of Florida introduced a bill that addressed how the Locksmiths need to be licensed, and also guidelines for the trade, but the bill never passed and currently Locksmiths are not licensed or governed in any way. Now the state, with no laws in place, wants to "legislate" how Locksmiths operate. Merkatz said that, while the states have unlimited funds to prosecute defendants, the average person runs out of money to take a case to trial. He goes on to say that even if a person is found NOT GUILTY at a trial, the defendant NEVER can recover the money spent to clear himself. He stated that he is currently, with help of others, trying to get a bill introduced to change that, labeled "The Merkatz Wrongful Compensation Act." This bill, if put into law, would "level the playing field" and reimburse people whose criminal charges are dismissed, or if they are found NOT GUILTY of all charges at a trial.

In an interview, Merkatz stated the following: "I am being targeted by the state of Florida because I tell all of the 'WRONG' that occurred in the arrests, and how the town of Palm Beach, Florida wasted taxpayer money on three arrests in an 8-month investigation, which resulted in most, if not all charges being dismissed."

Merkatz is currently working on his second updated edition "Wrongly Charged II," which will now include a monthly subscription to his network of sources that will help other victims of people that are "Wrongly Charged."

He also said in the interview that he will not settle this case and will defend it to the Florida Supreme Court if necessary. He plans to have all media present at all court hearings. His current book is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Nobel, and Books a Million and has a 5-star rating.